Don't be afraid of the sixth form

Show me your grades and I'll tell you what class you're in. The pressure to perform at secondary school is a burden for many young people. For parents, the transition to secondary school is also associated with many uncertainties. Will my child make it? Will he or she catch up?

Teachers, on the other hand, are faced with the difficult task of keeping the bundle of different needs together and doing justice to as many pupils as possible. This is particularly challenging when a class is made up of pupils of different ability levels, which can have a strong influence on the social dynamics within the class.

One upper school in the Zurich Oberland wanted to tackle this challenge proactively for the first time. It travelled to the Pestalozzi Children's Village in Trogen with all six first-year classes for a project week to address the various aspects of peaceful coexistence and set an example against exclusion in everyday school life. Of the six classes, the heterogeneous ABC class polarised the most due to its structure. The class is the only one to combine three different levels of ability: A, B and C, with A being the most challenging.

Encounters through shared experiences

Children's Village teacher Natalie Friedrich quickly realised that there were huge differences: «The spectrum ranged from those who listened very well and were able to complete tasks quickly to pupils with cognitive impairments.» However, thanks to the flexible project structure, Friedrich was able to adapt the programme to meet the specific needs of the class. Together with the class teacher, she focussed on getting to know each other and group work.

At the time of the project week, the class had only known each other for four weeks. How is it possible for a bond of trust to develop between the teacher and her pupils and for them to have a good time together?

Different needs

The atmosphere is often tense at the beginning. The weaker ones are annoyed that the others know everything better all the time. The stronger ones want more peace and quiet and want to work in a focussed manner. Completely different needs that need to be reconciled. Natalie Friedrich works with exercises in which the children are active and don't just have to listen. «Many people can engage better with something new if they can think and do something with their hands at the same time.»

For example, the pupils explored their own identity and drew their findings and thoughts on T-shirts using textile markers. As a class, they then decided to wear their identity shirts to the evening disco. «That was cool, of course, as they not only represented themselves, but also the class as a whole.»

Another example of how an overarching programme can be broken down to the needs of a group is the topic of reflection. As some of the class found it difficult to scrutinise their own thoughts, feelings and actions, they developed profiles in the course. The pupils were able to categorise their feelings in pre-formulated sentences: What makes them happy? And what triggers negative feelings in them? Personal information that they later shared within the class in order to get to know each other better. «How are they supposed to work together if they don't know each other's boundaries, let alone how they should react to them?» asks Natalie Friedrich.

Enter into a relationship with each other

time in everyday school life. The pressure to perform is high and the curriculum has to be adhered to. The non-formal project work in the Children's Village complements this and offers the opportunity to work intensively in class under the professional guidance of teachers and without time pressure.

In this way, topics such as marginalisation or integration are worked through with the pupils. In various exercises, they can experience for themselves what exclusion feels like or what it does to them when they are discriminated against. Natalie Friedrich explains that what happens in these experiential exercises changes a great deal in the behaviour of young people in their dealings with one another.

The teacher of the mixed secondary school class from the Zurich Oberland sees the strength of the project above all in tackling difficult topics in a playful way and addressing the behaviour of the young people through their emotions. The four days at the Pestalozzi Children's Village have led to noticeable changes for her. «One pupil who didn't feel comfortable before the camp was able to feel part of the class during the project week and has been much better integrated since then.»

How can a school class grow together as a community?

• When all pupils are allowed to act equally and with equal rights in the classroom.

• When disruptions are addressed and there is a culture in which everyone knows that they are allowed to speak and dare to do so.

• When things that are important to the class are discussed and everyone is allowed to express themselves.

• When you listen to each other with empathy and don't judge what you hear.

• When not only the class but the school as a whole establishes principles that apply as rules for everyone and are strongly present.

• When shared experiences are created. Because no matter how hostile or friendly you are, you can forget and create something new during your time together.

About the Pestalozzi Children's Foundation

The Pestalozzi Children's Foundation is an internationally active children's aid organisation. Children and young people have been at the centre of its activities since 1946. The Children's Village in Trogen is a place of peace-building, where children from Switzerland and abroad learn to deal with cultural and social differences through exchange. The foundation provides disadvantaged children in twelve countries with access to quality education.
www.pestalozzi.ch